Who installs a trampoline in Belfast
Not us. That is the first thing to know, and we would sooner say it at the top of the page than have you find out at the kerb. We supply BERG trampolines and deliver them to Belfast. We do not install them and we do not assemble them.
For an InGround or FlatGround trampoline the digging and fitting is done by an independent installer, a landscaper or a builder. If you do not have one, ask us and we will put you in touch with an independent installer, who deals with you directly. This page covers who does what, what that person looks at, and what to ask them. It contains no hole sizes, methods, timings or prices. Those come from BERG's manual and from whoever has stood in your garden.
Our part
- Advise on type, shape and size from your photos and measurements, at no charge.
- Deliver the trampoline on a pallet to the kerb outside your address, free on orders over €300. The detail is on the Belfast delivery page.
- Give you an independent installer's details when you ask for them.
- Keep genuine BERG spare parts.
The installer's part
- Comes out and looks at the ground where the trampoline would go.
- Says whether that spot will take an in-ground trampoline at all.
- Gives you a price. The agreement is between the two of you, not with us.
- Does the groundwork and the fitting, following BERG's manual for your model.
Why someone has to see the garden first
An in-ground trampoline sits over a hollow in the lawn, and water finds hollows. BERG's manual requires "adequate drainage" to carry rain water away and a check that a high ground-water level will not leave water lying in the hole.
Belfast's ground gives that requirement some weight. The Geological Survey of Northern Ireland's engineering geology map of the city shows a soft, highly compressible estuarine clay, known as sleech, under low-lying parts of the Lagan valley and around Belfast Lough, and stiff boulder clay over much of the rest. We cannot tell you which is under your lawn, and neither can a map. An installer with a spade can. More on this in our guide to wind, rain and ground in Belfast.
What an installer assesses
Broadly, a site visit is for these six things. How each one is dealt with is the installer's decision, made on the day.
- The ground
- What the soil is like at the exact spot. Belfast has soft estuarine clay under some low ground and stiff boulder clay under much of the rest, and only someone on site can say what you have.
- Drainage
- Where rain water goes once it reaches the hollow under the trampoline. BERG's manual requires adequate drainage for any in-ground model.
- Ground water
- Whether the water level in the soil is high enough to leave water standing underneath. BERG asks for that to be checked too.
- Slope
- BERG trampolines go on level ground. If the garden falls, the installer has to tell you what would be needed to make the spot level.
- Clearance
- Whether the position leaves BERG's 2 metres from fences, walls and trees and 7 metres overhead. In a small garden this is often the hardest test.
- Access
- How they reach the back garden with tools, materials and the trampoline itself, and how the dug-out soil leaves.
Access through a terrace house or an entry
This one deserves its own heading in Belfast. About 42% of the city's homes were terraced in 2011, on a council housing paper's figures, and in a terrace the back garden or yard is often reached only through the house or along a narrow entry. Digging produces soil that has to leave, and a trampoline arrives in long boxes that have to come in.
We are not going to tell you how that should be done. It is a question to ask, not advice from us: ask the installer how they will get the spoil out and the trampoline in if your only access is through the house. Their answer will tell you a good deal about whether the job is practical and what it will involve for your floors and your neighbours.
If the answer is that it is not practical, an above-ground trampoline involves no digging. Whether one fits is a matter of space: see trampolines for small Belfast gardens and yards.
Planning
We cannot advise on planning. We looked for official Northern Ireland guidance that mentions garden trampolines and found none. If you are unsure, ask Belfast City Council's planning service, especially before digging for an in-ground trampoline. Outside the city boundary, your own council's planning office is the one to ask.
A sensible order of events
- Decide the type: on legs, InGround with a low edge, or FlatGround level with the lawn.
- Mark the spot and measure the level, clear ground around it.
- For an InGround or FlatGround, have an installer, landscaper or builder look at that spot before you buy anything.
- Agree the exact BERG model with them. We will give you the model name so they can find it in BERG's manual.
- Ask when they could do the work, and tell us, so the delivery date suits.
The free garden consultation covers the first two. If a landscaper or builder is already working on the garden, let us know and we will make sure they have the correct model name.
Questions to ask an installer
- Have you fitted a BERG InGround or FlatGround before? Could I see one?
- Will you come and look at the garden before you give me a price?
- What do you make of the drainage at this spot, and how did you reach that view?
- Could ground water be a problem here after a wet spell?
- Does the spot need levelling, and is that part of your price?
- Are you working from BERG's manual for this exact model?
- How will you get the spoil out and the trampoline in if the only access is through the house?
- Where does the spoil go once it is out?
- What does your quote include, and what would be extra?
- How will the lawn, the entry and the floors be left afterwards?
- Do you want the trampoline on site before you start?
If the installer's verdict on the ground is no, accept it. It is a better answer to hear before the order than after the first wet winter.
If the trampoline is on legs
No groundwork is involved, as long as the spot is level. The trampoline is assembled from the BERG manual packed with it. We do not assemble either. If you would like it done for you, ask us for an independent installer's details.
Start with a phone call
Ring 028 3756 8930, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm. The two sunken types are set out on the InGround and FlatGround pages, and ordering from Belfast explains delivery and payment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you install trampolines in Belfast?+
No. We supply and deliver BERG trampolines to Belfast and we do not install or assemble them. If you want an installer, ask us and we will put you in touch with an independent one, who quotes you directly.
Who installs an in-ground trampoline in Belfast?+
An independent installer, a landscaper or a builder. Whoever you choose should look at your garden first, give you their own price and work from BERG's manual for the model you are buying.
How much does it cost to have a trampoline installed?+
We cannot say. We do not do the work, and the price depends on the ground, the access and the model. The installer quotes after seeing the garden. That price is separate from the price of the trampoline.
My only access is through the house. Can an in-ground trampoline still be fitted?+
That is a question for the installer, and a fair one to put early. Ask how they would get the spoil out and the trampoline in. We cannot answer it for them, and they cannot answer it without seeing the house and garden.
Do I need to ask the council before digging for an in-ground trampoline?+
We cannot advise on planning. We found no official Northern Ireland guidance that mentions garden trampolines. If you are unsure, ask Belfast City Council's planning service before any digging starts.
Does a trampoline on legs need an installer?+
There is no groundwork with an above-ground trampoline, provided the spot is level. It is put together from the BERG manual in the box. If you would prefer someone else to do it, we can pass on an independent installer's details.
Thinking about an in-ground trampoline?
Send a couple of photos and rough measurements. We will suggest a type and size, give you a price delivered to Belfast and, if you want one, pass on an independent installer's details. Free, with no obligation.
Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm